Interview: Author Sherri Hayes

Meet Sherri Hayes

Biography:

Sherri spent most of her childhood detesting English class. It was one of her least favorite subjects because she never seemed to fit into the standard mold. She wasn't good at spelling, or following grammar rules, and outlines made her head spin. For that reason, Sherri never imagined becoming an author.

At the age of thirty, all of that changed. After getting frustrated with the direction a television show was taking two of its characters, Sherri decided to try her hand at writing an alternate ending, and give the characters their happily ever after. By the time the story finished, it was one of the top ten read stories on the site, and her readers were encouraging her to write more.

Nearly eight years later, Sherri is the author of nine full-length novels, and two short stories. Writing has become a creative outlet that allows her to explore a wide range of emotions, while having fun taking her characters through all the twists and turns she can create. You can find a current list of all of Sherri’s books and sign up for her monthly newsletter at www.sherrihayesauthor.com.

Book Blubs:

Burning For Her Kiss (Serpent's Kiss #1) 

Beth Davenport has no interest in getting involved with another man for the foreseeable future. To say her last relationship ended in disaster would be a colossal understatement. The only reason she agrees to put in an appearance at Serpent’s Kiss, a private kink club in downtown St. Louis, is because her best friend, Nicole, won’t quit nagging her. When she walks in the door that night, the last thing she expects to do is meet a man who will have her reconsidering her ban on men.

As a captain with the St. Louis Fire Department, Drew Parker is used to being in charge. His crew relies on him to make sure they know what they’re doing and return home to their families after every shift. It isn’t, however, what he wants in a relationship. Drew decides to join Serpent’s Kiss to see if what appeals to him in fantasy is something he wants to explore in the real world. He’s also hoping that he’ll be lucky enough to meet a woman with whom he can explore his desires. The night Beth walks into the club, he is intrigued. Drew has to get to know her better.

After what happened to her, Beth is reluctant to get involved with Drew. It doesn’t matter that he is sweet and charming. She’s been burned before and Beth doesn’t think she can survive having her heart crushed again. Drew, however, won’t take no for an answer. He wants a relationship and is determined to chip away at her defenses until she relents. Will she give him a chance, or did her ex leave her with scars too deep to heal?

Teaser:

“I can’t offer you anything more than friendship right now. I’m sorry. I just can’t.”

“I understand.”

“You keep saying that.”

“And I mean it. Like I told you before, I’m willing to take what you’re offering. No strings,” he said.

Beth snorted. “You sent me flowers.”

“So?”

“So that isn’t exactly something a friend would do.”

He pretended to be offended. “Says who?”

She chuckled and shook her head. “Says me, that’s who.”

“You’ve never had a friend send you flowers?” he asked.

“Not the point.” She rolled her eyes at him.

Drew had to admit he was having fun, and since she seemed to be right there with him, he continued. “Sure it is. You mean to tell me Nicole has never sent you flowers?”

“Yes. She has. For my birthday. But Nicole is not you.” There was a light in Beth’s eyes—a sparkle—and he loved seeing it.

“Ah. So I’m not special enough to send you flowers. I see how it is.”

Beth rested her face in her hands and laughed. “You’re impossible.”

He grinned. “Am I?”

She looked up at him, amusement the most dominant emotion on her face. “Yes. You know exactly what I mean, and you’re intentionally missing the point I’m trying to make. You’re a guy. Guys don’t send flowers to women they’re friends with.”

His expression sobered. “Would you rather I not have sent them?”

Beth paused and seemed to consider his question. “No. I liked the flowers. I just don’t want you to get your hopes up.”

“I’m not.” He’d said it before, and if she needed him to, he’d repeat it every day until she believed him. 

Buy Links:
Burning For Her Kiss (Serpent's Kiss #1)
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1pOwNYK
B&N: http://bit.ly/1zWm9gP
iBooks: http://bit.ly/1z7mrBt
ARe: http://bit.ly/1Cl6utb

Social Media:
Amazon Author Page: amazon.com/author/sherrihayes
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Sherri_Hayes
Goodreads: http://www.sherrihayesauthor.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sherri-Hayes/122511444477280?ref=hl 

Interview:
1. What inspires your writing? I get inspiration from everything from music to news stories to situations I encounter in day-to-day life.
2. Have you always wanted to be an author? No. English was my least favorite subject in school. I was, and still am, a horrible speller. It made writing things down difficult for me growing up. Thank goodness for editors!
3. Who are your favorite authors? Diana Gabaldon and Marie Force
4. What would you say to someone who is just starting out as a writer?Write and get a good beta reader who isn’t afraid to tell you when something you’ve written is crap. It will help to make you tell better stories.
5. Do you ever put any part of yourself in you characters?There is a part of me in all of my main characters. I think it would be difficult to get into their heads and tap into their emotions otherwise.
6. How old where you when your first book was published?I was 33.
7. How many books have you written? What are their titles?I’ve written a total of 11 stories to date: 9 novels and 2 short stories. 
Hidden Threat

A Christmas Proposal (A Hidden Threat Short Story)

Slave (Finding Anna, Book 1)

Need (Finding Anna, Book 2)

Truth (Finding Anna, Book 3)

Trust (Finding Anna, Book 4)

Behind Closed Doors (Daniels Brothers #1)

Red Zone (Daniels Brothers #2)

Crossing The Line (Daniels Brothers #3)

Welcome to Serpent’s Kiss  (Serpent’s Kiss 0.5)

Burning For Her Kiss (Serpent’s Kiss #1)

8. Do you have any more books coming out? What are their titles? I have a short story, One Forbidden Night, coming out this fall as part of an erotic anthology titled Irrevocably Claimed. I’m also working on the 4th and final book in my Daniels Brothers Series and the 2nd novel in my Serpent’s Kiss Series, however, neither of them have titles as of yet.
9. What do you hope readers take from your books?I write stories about relationships. I want my readers to take away from my books feeling as if they just spent time with some good friends.
10. What do you do to get ready to write?I don’t do anything special. Most of the time I grab my laptop, find a spot, maybe pull up a playlist on Youtube, and start writing.
11. Do you ever get writers block? What helps you get past it?Most of the time when I’m experiencing difficulty writing, it’s one of two things. Either I have too much going on in my life and need to relax and unwind in order to get the creative juices flowing. Or, I’m going a direction my characters don’t want to go. When that happens, it’s time to regroup and do some brainstorming. Sometimes that means completely scraping a chapter and starting over.
12. What is your favorite type of book to read? Does that type influence your books?I write what I like to read, so contemporary romance.

Fun Facts:
1.   Favorite food – Pizza or pasta depending on my mood.
2.   Favorite color - Purple
3.   Favorite sweet treat - Cupcakes
4.   Favorite mixed drink – I don’t drink.
5.   Favorite thing to shop for - books
6.   Lucky number - 7
7.   Favorite book – Voyager by Diana Gabaldon
8.   Favorite movie – 10 Things I Hate About You
9.   Favorite song – Pretty Girl by Chris Mann
10. Favorite sport - Football

What is something everyone should know about you?  I’ve had stories in my head for as long as I can remember, however, because my difficulty with spelling in writing school assignments I didn’t write out my first story until I was thirty years old.